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Arizona State Accepts Invitation To Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Against Kansas State

TEMPE, Ariz.-Arizona State University's football team has accepted an invitation to play Kansas State (10-2) of the Big 12 Conference in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, Friday, December 27 at 5 p.m. (PST), ASU Director of Athletics Gene Smith announced Sunday.

'We are very pleased that the officials of the Holiday Bowl selected ASU to be the opponent for Kansas State,' says Smith. 'We plan to represent the Pacific-10 Conference well and we hope our fans will find ways to attend the game. We are excited about this opportunity.'

Dirk Koetter's second ASU squad will face Kansas State, which finished second (6-2) in the Big 12 North Division. The Wildcats outscored their opponents 548-127 (45.7 ppg/10.6 ppg) this year and featured running back Darren Sproles (1,347 yards, 16 touchdowns. Quarterback Ell Roberson passes for 1,365 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 969 yards and 13 more touchdowns. The defense features cornerback Terence Newman, who is a Nagurski candidate, along with ASU's Terrell Suggs, for the nation's top defensive player.

'The Holiday Bowl matchup will provide a perfect cap to a successful Sun Devil season,' says second-year head coach Koetter. 'Our players are excited to be going to San Diego to play such a quality opponent as Kansas State. I am particularly pleased for our seniors who get a tremendous reward for a great season.'

Arizona State will arrive in San Diego ('America's Finest City') on Saturday, December 21. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN and nationally broadcast via radio by Westwood One. The guaranteed minimum payout by the Holiday Bowl is $2 million per team. ASU will be headquartered at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina.

Other fan attractions in San Diego include the World Famous San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, LegoLand, Coronado Island, Old Town and the Scripps Aquarium

Tickets are available to all season tickets holders. The first guarantee of tickets is based on the customer donation level within the Sun Angel Foundation. After these guaranteed orders have been filled, all remaining ticket holders will be allocated tickets based on a lottery system.

Ticket prices are $44 for the general public and $25 for ASU students. The Intercollegiate Athletic Department is subsidizing $19 of the $44 ticket for students to encourage students to purchase tickets to the game.

'We will pay for $19 of the total $44 cost of a ticket to enable our students to purchase an affordable ticket to the Holiday Bowl game,' says Smith. 'We want to give our students every opportunity to enjoy the game in person in sunny San Diego.'

The ticket office will extend its hours until 6:00 p.m. during the weeks of December 9-13 and 16-20 until 6:00 p.m. to accommodate patrons. Persons can also purchase their tickets in person at the Sun Devil ticket office (South end of Sun Devil Stadium at the Carson Student-Athlete Center). The Athletic Ticket Office telephone number is 480-965-2381.

ASU played in the 1985 Holiday Bowl on Dec. 22 and lost to Arkansas, 18-17. The 2002 Holiday Bowl appearance will be ASU's 20th bowl game in history. The Sun Devils sport a 10-8-1 won-loss record in bowl games. ASU's last bowl game was the 2000 Aloha Bowl in Honolulu. The Sun Devils' last bowl victory came in 1997, a 17-7 win over Iowa in the Sun Bowl.

ASU will be returning to San Diego, having defeated San Diego State University, 39-28, earlier this year on Sept. 14, 2002.